


The shades between Black and White

by orphan_account



Series: Pokémon AU's - Gotta Write 'Em All [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Angst, Human/Pokemon Relationship(s), Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Angst, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, M/M, POV Loki (Marvel), Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, oblivious loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-24 04:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14348178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Loki joins Team Plasma because there's one thing he believes in, it's the fact that Pokemon need to be separated from the cruelty of humanity. But this ideal may be harder to hold onto when he's sent on a mission to the Elite Four mansion, and is confronted with the psychic pokemon trainer, Anthony Stark.Loosely based off the games. No knowledge of the pokemon universe is required to enjoy





	The shades between Black and White

**Author's Note:**

> So who else likes reminiscing about old childhood nostalgia sometimes, especially when you find a friend who shares this nostalgia :D and then have that nostalgia completely and utterly snowball out of control, with some added FI feels. I am happy to take the blame and accuse in turn **STARSdidathing ******for turning this pokemon nostalgia fest into some glorious FrostIron stories!
> 
> As I said in the summary, no knowledge of the pokemon world is required to enjoy any of these stories in the series (Because both Stars and I ended up with multiple pokemon plots) as I have linked any pokemon I mention to pictures of the pokemon for easier understanding.
> 
> But this AU is based on the Black/White Pokemon games in the Unova region, on the Nintendo DS. But I've only ever played the start of the game, so it's only very loosely based on the plot :D
> 
> Also I decided to add original characters for the other members for the Elite Four Members as opposed to the other Avengers, partly as an excuse to create pokemon teams for them, but also I may be still a bit salty about CW so decided to give Tony a new team to hang with.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this story and all the other stories that are to come in this new series!

  
_“You can’t afford to screw this up.”_

  
_“Our dream of separating Pokemon from humans and their cruelty forever is within our grasp. Your grasp.”_

  
_“Do not fail.”_

  
_“The[Munna](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/munna). Anthony’s Stark Munna. You have one month to report back with it.”_

 

_The mission was clear. The boss had made it crystal clear to Loki the day he left. Failure was not an option._

  
_And Loki had agreed. He had joined team Plasma because their dream had been to separate humans from Pokemon. No more would human’s cruelty and greed and sin affect Pokemon. Loki had seen enough of pokemon battled to the point of exhaustion, sometimes to a point that they couldn’t recover from. Pokemon used and abused in petty arguments between humans, used as a tool to become the ultimate trainer. Becoming objects and prizes… trophies and not the living and breathing beautiful creatures that they were._  


_But as he stood in the darkened room of the Elite four mansion, Loki hesitated. The munna was there, pink body hovering over the sleeping man and expelling the dream mist that it had been steadily eating from the man. Munna’s were a curious psychic pokemon, attracted to sleeping people who were having particularly vivid dreams. The pokemon would feed off of this energy, causing the person to have no recollection of the dream or nightmare, but as far as researchers were aware, had no other side effect. They weren’t very common, Loki had only seen one in his life, hence as soon as the boss of Team Plasma had heard one may have been hanging around Anthony Stark, he had sent Loki to investigate straight away. But the mist wasn’t pink in colour, like Loki had seen once, as a child hovering over his mother and eating whatever pleasant dream she had been having. This time, the mist, as it rose from Stark, was dark and swirling with a deep poisonous green. The munna shuddered with it, letting out a tiny whimper as it pulled deeper at the man’s nightmare. Loki watched, transfixed as Stark’s fitful sleep evened out; as the man’s face that had been pinched with pain filled lines, softened and relaxed._

 

_Finally after about ten minutes the munna cut off it’s connection to the man, a full shudder running through the whole of its body as it blew the gathered mist away from it’s head and into the air. Loki watched it, eyes wide as the mist seem to thicken and darken in patches, taking on the brief form of a shadowy man, arm raised above his head as if to strike something, before the mist shrank and dissipated right before his very eyes. Loki swallowed hard at the implications, gaze flickering back to the man now sleeping peacefully before him._

 

_“Why?” Loki whispered and felt Zoro, Loki’s[Zorua](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/zorua) that he had released from his pokeball in case he ran into any trouble on the mission rub against his leg and give a worried mewl. Loki crouched down, laying a hand on Zoro’s head, and stroking his ears in a soothing gesture. But he turned his gaze on the munna, that now free from the mist was staring steadily back at Loki._

 

_“Why did you do that?” he asked. Humans don’t deserve such kindness from pokemon. Especially the Elite Four. The best of the Unova’s trainers that have undoubtedly pushed their pokemon to the extreme to reach this top elite tier. But here was a Munna, showing a kindness to one of them._

 

 _The munna just blinks back at him. It lets out a soft whine and then turns away, drifting through the wall and out of the room. It’s disappearance plunges the room into darkness, having provided a glow that was the only reason Loki had been able to see around the room in the first place. Zoro presses closer, and Loki presses his hand through the warm fur of her back for one second, before standing and coming to a decision. Leaving the room as swiftly and as quietly as he came in, Loki hurries to outside the mansion, letting star and moon light allow him to search his pack for paper and a pen._  


**_Mission delayed. Unexpected conditions have arisen._ **

 

**_A mission extension needed._ **

 

**_I will update as and when I can._ **

 

_And so Loki begun to lie._

 

~

  
Sometimes it hits Loki all of a sudden, where he is, and the circumstances that brought him here. These moments can be brought on by the smallest of things. Once it was the towels in his bathroom, soft and freshly laundered like they always were and in Loki’s favoured colour of deep forest green. Loki had found himself in the bathroom, still dripping from the shower and just staring at the towels that had been specifically chosen with him in mind, showing him that this was his room, that he belonged here.

 

It still felt like a lie.  


Today the lie was a heavy comforting arm around his shoulders, warm and inviting and making it hard for him to resist leaning into it. The man next to him, was chattering away, a million words a minute that had him smiling a fond smile regardless of the bitter taste of guilt that curls upon his tongue.

 

“Anthony,” Loki says in a soft tone. Anthony abruptly stops, warm brown eyes turning to meet his in a questioning gaze. Loki clenches down on the unease that starts to churn in his stomach. They’re both in the mansion’s library, ignoring the numerous tables to spread the books and papers they had gathered around them on the floor.

 

“You’ve missed the fact that some [Sigilyph](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/sigilyph) have shown to have a hidden ability.” He smiles at the confused head tilt Anthony gives him but mourns the loss of heat and comfort, Anthony had unconsciously been giving when he drops his arm so he can move to sit in front of Loki instead.  


 

“Oh?” Anthony says, and his eyes brighten with the prospect of new knowledge.  


 

“Really,” Loki replies and shakes his head. “You’re a member of the Elite four and a primary user of psychic pokemon, yet you hardly know anything about them,” he teases.  


“Well it’s not by choice,” Anthony retorts. He huffs and mocks a look of frustration on his face. Loki can easily see the lie. Anthony looks over to his [Beheeyem](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/beheeyem), who is floating in the air next to Loki’s Yamask, flashing the colour dots on its palm, that has been thought of as how the pokemon communicates. This was the first clue, Loki had picked up while living in the mansion, that started to prove his theory on the Elite Four’s relationship with their pokemon wrong. The pokemon were hardly ever kept in pokeballs, the only time they were used was before battles with any challengers. Instead, the pokemon were allowed to wander freely throughout the home, and there were even several environments built specifically with their comfort in mind, around the outside of the mansion.

 

“Psychic pokemon always just end up following me, I can’t not take them in and give them a home,” Anthony says. Turning back to Loki, He reaches for his belt, unclipping it and enlarging the ultra ball that he comes back with.  


“So, what can this little guy do?” He clicks the button, and the Sigilyph rushes into existence. The sigilyph is one of Anthony’s newest pokemon, brought back from when he had visited the desert resort. Which was why, Anthony was choosing to keep him in the pokeball for the majority of the time at the moment, still unsure how he’ll react to the rest of the resident’s pokemon and figuring out, just what will need to get built or adapted in the mansion to accommodate him.  


Loki watches the sigilyph as it hovers in the air. His colours are vibrant and has the look of something that belongs in the ancient pokemon world that Loki has only read about in history books. Which is not a surprise since researches have found depictions of them on temples deep within the jungle regions, showing them as the temples ancient guardians. He holds out his hand in offer, and smiles when the pokemon glides closer, curious enough to touch Loki with the black appendages that are the pokemon’s equivalent of arms. The touch is unusual. The pokemon doesn’t seem to have any kind of skin, or fur. It’s not even some kind of stone that Loki would expect from a pokemon such as a [Roggenrola](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/roggenrola), but some kind of surface that is hard, and warm, closer to be being too hot to touch, like a computer that has become overheated.

 

The sigilyph hums, pressing closer for a second before it hovers back over to Anthony who presses his palm to the pokemon’s body. He’s smiling over at Loki though. “Looks like I’m not the only one this guy is fond of,” he remarks and Loki drops his head.

 

 _You don’t deserve this_ , a traitorous voice whispers in his head. _You’re a liar._

 

Loki didn’t know what he expected when he infiltrated the Elite Four, as a candidate to join their ranks. But it certainly wasn’t this slow building of contentment that began to overshadow the initial confusion. All of Loki’s life he had seen Pokemon used as tools and trophies. Odin had seen them as such, tools for his gym, only allowed to become trophies when they had reached Odin’s desired level of experience.  


But living in the Elite Four’s mansion was a completely different experience to growing up in Odin’s gym. In the mansion the pokemon roam free, each having their own specific habitat built for them either inside the mansion or outside on the mansion’s grounds. In Odin’s gym there had been strict rules on pokeball use. In the mansion, training was only allowed to be done in sessions lasting no more than 3 hours and the same pokemon couldn’t be worked for more than 3 times in a week. Odin had battled and worked his pokemon until they were exhausted and had to be taken to a pokecentre for recovery. The rest of the member’s time was spent on personal projects. Hailey would often go off to Nimbasa City to see her girlfriend who competed in the Musical Theatre. Flynn would attend to the mansion's grounds and could often be seen, working in his personal garden, that was home to some of the most exotic plants Loki had seen. Lucia liked to battle not only with her pokemon, but also with herself and would often travel to Castelia City and help teach the martial arts classes that are held there. And Anthony would spend his spare time completing the mansion. Designing and upgrading the rooms to fit any new pokemon arrivals, or in the library reading the new published papers that professors and researchers released on their findings. Something that Loki would often join him in.  


“I only did some research on them,” Loki’s says, taking his mind off such thoughts and bringing his gaze back up to look at the sigilyph, fixing a thoughtful look on his face. “They have a chance of inheriting two abilities,” Loki continues. “The magic guard and wonder skin, as you are aware.”  


“Both awesome abilities,” Anthony coos and rests his hand on his sigilyph who hums and presses closer to Anthony. “But you said they also have a hidden ability, that could possibly fix my conundrum, in that match against Hailey in a week. You know what she’s like, she’s not going to go easy on me, just because I’ll be training a new pokemon.” Loki hears Anthony’s small huffed breath of amusement and can feel his gaze on Loki’s. But Loki doesn’t move his sight from sigilyph, unable to meet Anthony’s gaze as the guilt builds the more contented he starts to feel.

 

 _If I could just have this he thinks. Nothing more, just this, I’ll be happy._ He still believes in Team Plasma’s ideal. He wants Pokemon to be free from humans but with every day he stays at the mansion living in comfort and contentment, with Pokemon as friends and partners, that ideal becomes more complicated. And he knows he’s living on borrowed time; that any happiness he’s experiencing now is just a loan, and he’s going to be paying for it later, with misery and loneliness for when he is found out and has to leave the mansion.  


“It’s only been remarked upon a couple of time,” Loki continues. “Perhaps its a long-shot that this guy will show it. But a couple have shown the ability that researchers called tinted lens. Which can power up non-effective moves.”

 

In the corner of his eye he sees Anthony move his gaze, and some tension he had been holding to maintain an appearance of nonchalance drops, making Loki slump his shoulders and take a chance to peer up at Anthony.

  


Loki hadn’t exactly been accepted into the Elite four with open arms. Not only were there trials and challenges that he had had to pass to even be considered a candidate, but also once he was in, he had been met with wariness and a distance that he couldn’t actually blame the others for. He was here as part of a ruse. Everyone had side-eyed his [Liepard](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/liepard), known for being cruel and mischievous pranksters, despite their beauty. His [Yamask](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/yamask), that would constantly hover around his shoulder was looked at with trepidation, because a Yamask was a ghost, a spirit of a person risen anew and had a melancholy ability of crying on occasion and no one had figured out why.

 

Loki was a user of dark and ghost type pokemon and that was met with suspicion and distaste. Even the leader, Flynn, who was known far and wide for his calm and tolerant attitude, kept his distance.

  


Everyone that was, except for Anthony. The first week Loki had been here, he had noticed Anthony’s gaze. But instead of wariness and suspicion, Anthony’s gaze had been curious and calculating, giving Loki more than one moment of panic with thoughts that he had been found out already.

  


But then over time, Anthony had relaxed. He started smiling at Loki in the corridors, offered to have their training coincide, so Anthony could test his pokemon’s moves against Loki’s ghost and dark types. And then one day Anthony had sat down next to Loki at the dining table, a plate of sandwiches in one hand and a pile of papers in the other.

 

“Take a look at this, Lokes,” he said, the new nickname slipping free with so much ease, that it had taken some time for Loki to even register it.  


 

“And let me know what you make of it. I don’t even know what to think,” he made an exasperated movement with his hands.

  


“Oh and help yourself to some of the sandwiches. I made plenty,” he said and then bustled off over to the counter, setting up the coffee maker to brew a fresh pot with practiced ease and leaving Loki blinking at the sudden development that Anthony seemed to have taken upon himself.  


It became a routine after that. Them hanging out on a nearly daily basis, discussing Professor Juniper’s research papers, and any other scientist’s papers that got their attention. Training their pokemon together, even lounging on the couch some nights, watching a movie on the TV.

 

It quickly became addictive. Anthony was addictive. The brunette charming, and intelligent, quick to smile and laugh, and Loki quickly found himself wanting to spend more and more time around the man.

 

“Lokes?”

 

Loki is brought back from his thoughts by Anthony’s questioning voice. Automatically he looks up and is met with a smile that has Loki wishing that everyday could be like this one.

 

“Wow, you were miles away weren’t you,” Anthony says. “Anywhere nice?” He winks.

 

“Mm,” Loki agrees. “In a world where you actually stand a chance against Hailey,” he teases.

 

Anthony’s smile instantly broadens and his eyes gleam with challenge. “You think I’m not tough enough?” he retorts back. “You wound me Lokes.”  


“I am burdened with telling you the truth.” Loki rises to his feet and holds out an arm to Anthony. “But I suppose, I could help you out. You’re not going to stand a chance against her [Kyurem](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/kyurem) if you can’t take on my [Hydreigon](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/hydreigon).”

 

“Just doing your duty,” Anthony mutters and rolls his eyes but accepts Loki’s hand.

  


“Of course,” Loki retorts. As they walk out of the library, Loki glances at the clock on the wall. The seconds tick on, never pausing and Loki can’t help but wonder how much time he has got left. He can’t continue to delay his mission much longer without arousing suspicion, if he hasn’t already.  


 

~

  


Loki finds himself in the kitchen later on that night. The afternoon training session with Anthony had gone well, with Anthony winning an easy match against his Hydreigon. Although fully evolved and one of the more powerful dragon type pokemon out there, Loki was not an Elite trainer, had hardly trained his pokemon at all with his role in team Plasma. But the match had been enjoyable, Hydreigon did love to battle, something Loki had found out as he grew closer with his pokemon in the mansion. But the afternoon had only left Loki with more discontentment about his current situation and the growing realisation that Plasma may be wrong with their stance on human’s relationship with pokemon. So Loki had abandoned his rooms and a bed that he knew he would have had just tossed and turned in without getting any sleep. The cup of tea he had made himself is cooling on the counter-top in front of him, the steam rising in swirling patterns that mirror his confusing thoughts.

 

He doesn’t know what to do.

  
The kitchen is located in the south of the mansion, one wall made up entirely of glass that allows Loki to see outside. There’s a full moon tonight, casting a silvery glow over the dusty ground and the treetops that can just be seen rising above the mountain plateau. He could escape, Loki thinks. Leave now and slip out quietly into the night. Run away from the mansion, run away from Team Plasma. Maybe travel to a different region, begin a new life where he can discover how he wants to live his life from now on.

  
Even as he thinks it, he knows he’s not going to do it and part of him mourns the idea, and the safety it would provide.

  
A small head nudges at his thigh, startling Loki from his thoughts and making him look down. Leah, Loki’s newly named Liepard is sitting on her haunches beside him after sneaking in from wherever she had been hiding in the mansion. Her green eyes gaze up at him with a softness he isn’t usually used to seeing, when she’s surrounded by others. Reaching his hand down he strokes her cheek, smiling when she nuzzles into the touch. She’s another one that has surprised Loki with how affectionate she can be, liking to curl up by his side and sleep the day away.

  
“What are we going to do?” he asks. Leah just blinks at him, and Loki sighs.

 

“The boss is curious to know what you’ll be doing also.”

  
A voice cuts through the silence of the mansion, deep and familiar and full of bitter sarcasm. In an instant, Loki is scraping the kitchen stool back, and turning to face the owner of the voice. Next to him Leah also jumps up, the fur on her back bristling, and a low growl sounding in her throat.

  
“Loki,” Mason greets and smiles showing off all of his teeth in a way that has always reminded Loki of a shark. “It’s been too long,” he continues casually as though they were old friends, bumping into each other at the PokeMart.

  
“Not long enough,” Loki grits out, while he puts a hand on Leah’s back, both for comfort and to stop her from attacking. Even though they were a part of the same organisation, Loki had never liked Mason. The man loved Pokemon, but that was the only good thing Loki could say about him. There was a cruel streak that ran though him, a malice that was always close to the surface, ready to lash out at any human that got on his nerve.

  
The smile drops off of Mason’s face. “Agreed,” he says and just like that, all sense of politeness drops from his body. He steps forward, a menacing glare in his eyes. “Loki, Loki, Loki.” He shakes his head and takes the final step so he’s an inch away from Loki. “I’m going to enjoy taking you in.”

  


Loki doesn’t flinch. Standing up straight he smirks down at Mason. “For what exactly?” he asks.

 

Mason scoffs. “For a 2 week mission turning into a 4 month one.”

  
Loki rolls his eyes.

  
“They’re the Elite Four,” he replies and strokes Leah, calming the growl that is becoming audible. “If the Boss wants his Munna, he’s just going to have to be patient."

  
“Patience,” Mason huffs an amused breath and turns away from Loki. He walks a short distance away, hands clenching into fists as he paces in a tight circle, sending the occasional glare at Loki. Loki follows his movements, noting the coil of agitation, that tightens with every short and angry step. It’s like watching a ticking bomb, with no idea when the timer will go off. It could have minutes before it explodes, or it could be seconds.

  
“I think the Boss has been more than patient with you!” Mason almost shouts. “Anyone else and he would have declared them defected months ago, but oh no, not Loki, the favourite.”

 

“And you think the Boss’s faith is misplaced?” Loki asks.

  
Mason throws his hands up in the air, a very obvious gesture of exasperation. This, at least, is what Loki’s good at. He has always known how to use words and body language to his advantage. It was how he got so good at infiltration, and rose up in the ranks of Team Plasma. It was how he became a candidate of the Elite Four, despite having little pokemon battling experience.

 

“So what are you here for, Mason?” Loki asks. “Take me in, and the Munna will definitely be beyond our reach… oh...” Loki suddenly gets it and he grins wide. Mason stops his pacing, a flicker of unease passing over the angry glare. “You’re here to take the Munna yourself. You see yourself don’t you, returning back to Boss with the favourite in chains, revealed to be a deserter, just like you’ve probably been saying to anyone who listens. You’re here to prove yourself right.” Loki chuckles.

  
“And to top it off, you, yourself, will present to the Boss, the greatly desired Munna and the team will worship you. You’ll be the reason that their goals are achievable, the one who brought about the Great Change in human’s relationship with Pokemon. You’ll be the favourite.” Loki pauses and looks straight at Mason, while reaching for his tea, he had made before this confrontation began. He takes a sip. Well it hasn’t cooled that much, thankfully, he thinks. “Or am I wrong?”

  


Mason is frozen in place, fury plain in every tense line of his body. His silence confirms every word that Loki has said is true.

  
“Well," Loki says and steps forward, placing the tea mug back on the counter. “I’ll give you this to go back with at least,” he says. Leah moves with him as he walks up to Mason, pressing against his thigh and building her growl up into a snarl that shows her teeth. Mason flicks his eyes down to her, fear and trepidation building in his eyes and making Loki smirk. Mason never took any pokemon, had refused, so only had himself as a means of protection, which when confronted with Leah’s fury, would not be enough.

 

Loki waits until he is mere inches away from Mason, and then speaks. “You can tell the Boss, and anyone else who listens to your whiny voice that you were correct.” He pauses, willing his heart to stop beating so fast. He’s going to do this, and damn the consequences.

  
“Loki, the favourite has defected, and if you want Anthony Stark’s Munna, then you’re going to have to go through me,” he finishes and straightens up.

 

It’s a rash decision. One made with the sudden rise of plain tiredness at this whole facade he’s been playing. He’s going to take this chance, and suffer the consequences.

  
Loki turns to leave the room, so he can panic over what's he had just done, but freezes when a slow clap sounds from one of the doorways to the room.

  
“Wow, you had me worried there, Lokes,” Anthony says as he calmly walks into the room. He smiles and winks at Loki as he walks past and holds out his hand to Mason.

  
“Hi there, Anthony Stark, I’m sure you’ve heard of me. Psychic Pokemon trainer and member of the Elite Four.” Loki hears but doesn’t see, frozen in place that he is, turned away from Mason, with his heart thundering in his chest and a chorus of no, no, no, no, running through his head.

  
Anthony heard. Anthony knows.

  
“And I should add, though it was a great speech, don’t get me wrong, but I won’t be allowing any pokemon… or person... to get taken away from here either. Just not going to happen, sorry to burst that little dream of yours.”

  
“None of us will.”

  
The lights flood on, leaving Loki blinking in the sudden brightness. But after his eyes adjusts he can see the rest of the Elite four standing in the room, in various positions of battle ready. Hailey glares, arms folded across her chest and eyes radiating as much chill as her [Beartic](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/beartic) that towers behind her, barely able to fit in the room because of his height. Next to her is Lucia, her face a mask of indifference but her [Mienshao](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/mienshao) next to her is shivering with excitement, at the prospect of a battle.

  
And standing just in front of them, Flynn is an imposing figure. He’s calm, and gazes steadily at the point beyond Loki’s shoulder where Mason stands. For a moment Loki doesn’t think that he has a pokemon with him, but them he spies movement above him and the three metres of long green body, thick with muscles, slithers down from the ceiling. [Serperior](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/serperior) is an intimidating sight, coming to rest with his head next to Flynn, but coiling his tail just so that it separates Mason from the others in the room.  


“Which I believe would be your cue to leave,” Anthony says. “Unless you fancy, taking us all on?” he asks with a tone of polite enquiry.

  
Loki hears Mason leave. He watches Flynn as he turns his gaze to follow Mason as he leaves through whatever method he had used to come in. He hears Anthony’s brief huff of amusement, and the light footsteps of him turning around but Loki keeps his gaze on Flynn. The leader has turned his own eyes on Loki, expression unreadable.

  
Loki shuts his eyes. The urge to flee is back, and it feels like the temperature in the room has dropped making him shiver. Is it Hailey, he thinks. Is Hailey coming towards him, using her ice pokemon to freeze and prevent him from running?

  
“Loki?” Anthony’s voice says, quiet and soft and Loki flinches.

  
“Loki,” Flynn says. “We’ll leave you just now. Anthony will explain. You have no reason to fear us.”

  
Loki shivers again. He doesn’t believe Flynn’s words. He has everything to fear from them. Perhaps Flynn means there’s going to be no punishment, but they’re still going to make him leave and that is an unbearable thought in itself. But they could also take his pokemon away, demand that Loki is not fit to be a trainer and that he leave them here and that thought makes his heart and stomach clench in pain. He’s grown closer to his pokemon, likes having Leah and Zoro curl on his lap while he reads a book. He likes watching Hydreigon swoop through the sky burning off excess energy with elaborate turns and dives, and he likes seeing [Bisharp ](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/bisharp)and Yamask, slowly begin to reveal their personalities.

 

“Loki, the rest are gone, it’s just me,” Anthony says in a voice that Loki’s heard him use before, when he has been trying to soothe a pokemon so he could give it a berry that would help with it’s poisoning.

 

Loki sighs and grits his teeth. He opens his eyes and looks at Anthony. “Please,” he asks before Anthony can begin. “I won’t be going back to Team Plasma, so don’t take my pokemon away.” Leah’s warmth is a steady comfort against his thigh and it contradicts with everything that he had thought about this world, about the ideal that he sought after with Team Plasma, but he can’t bear the thought of being separated from them now.

 

Anthony pinches the bridge of his nose, and looks down. Loki swallows at the tiredness he can see there, that he had put there.  


 

“I’ll go quietly,” Loki continues, and takes an aborted step forward, reaching out with his hand and then thinking better of it. “I’ll travel to a different region. You won’t hear from me ever again.” The words are like acid on his tongue. But he’ll swallow the poison if it means that tired, anxious look on Anthony’s face will disappear.

 

“Loki-” Anthony starts and then cuts himself off. His lips thin out into an angry line and his eyebrow twitches. “Loki, I’ve known you were part of Team Plasma from the first week you got here.”  


 

Loki steps back, the words hitting him like something physical. Anthony hurries to take a step forward his eyes suddenly wide and panicked. “I know,” he says and both his hands rise as though they want to hold onto Loki, physically stop him from fleeing. Loki stares down at them dumbfounded. “I know, it wasn’t my place to find out until you told me, but my pokemon… they can’t help but pick some things up, and then they wanted to inform me. They were worried. I should have said something, but I was trying to figure you out, wonder why you were here and then we started spending more time together, which I enjoyed, and then I don’t know, time went on, and I didn’t know how to begin to approach the subject… and please feel free to stop this pitiful attempt at an explanation anytime now,” he trails off.  


 

Loki is still staring down at Anthony’s arms that are still kind of half raised towards Loki.

  


“You’ve known?” Loki asks, voice coming out as small and lost as he feels. “All this time, you’ve known.” He raises his eyes and this time, it’s Anthony looking away his shoulders slumped and the beginning of a grimace building on his face.

 

“I should have told you, I know.” He gives a half-hearted little shrug.

 

“Why didn’t you?” Loki asks. “Why did you spend time with me? Why did you _allow_ me to continue being here?”

 

“Because I like you,” Anthony says, simple and plain, as though he’s stating a fact. He sighs, whole body moving with the sound and he brings up a hand to rub at the back of the neck. Then he chuckles and drops both his hands down to his sides, standing up straight and looking at Loki straight in the eyes.

 

“I like you, Loki,” he repeats. “You’re a sarcastic, smart and gorgeous guy, who cares for his pokemon. I don’t know your reasons for being with team Plasma, but I can’t believe that you don’t have good reasons. I believe you are good, Loki, and I would love to find out why. I would love to find out anything more about you.”  


 

Loki just stares back at Anthony. He knows his eyes are wide and that the shock he feels would be obvious to even a child. But he just… doesn’t understand it.

 

Leah apparently does. Using her weight, she pushes Loki forward. He stumbles forward, any kind of resistance he might have had to the movement, gone with the shock. Anthony catches him, hands coming to hold onto Loki’s upper arms in a sturdy grip. He chuckles but aims a light glare over Loki’s shoulder.

 

“Leah,” he admonishes. Loki doesn’t see what Leah does, mind still too busy trying to catch up with the events of the night, but she must do something as Anthony chuckles again, causing the warm air to blow over Loki’s neck. He shivers, this time not from the cold,and gains Anthony’s attention once more. He looks sad, and Loki feels Anthony’s thumbs rub briefly over his arms before they push him back up and then pull away.

 

“Look, Loki,” Anthony says. “I’m just saying that it’s alright. I know, Flynn and the others know. We accepted you here regardless. You can continue to be here, as a member of the Elite Four and if Team Plasma comes again, we’ll deal with them. Together.”

 

Loki nods and gives Anthony a small smile. He doesn’t trust this. But he wants to. Anthony’s face is open, there’s no lie in his words… maybe he can have this life, filled with the mansion and the friendship of the other members, and Anthony. His days filled with training and talking with Anthony… perhaps something even more. The idea hadn’t even crossed his mind, and he doesn’t know what to make of it now… but perhaps.  


“And you like me?” he asks, to clarify.  


 

He thinks of their times in the library, Anthony’s arm coming to rest over his shoulders as they studied over the same paper. He thinks of the way Loki would steal food off of Anthony’s plate at meal times and the way Anthony never seems to mind. He thinks of the warm contentment that he had begun to feel when Anthony became his friend and he thinks about them being more. He imagines them sharing a kiss after a successful battle, their emotions and adrenaline running high as they share their success with each other. He imagines his green towels on a rail in the bathroom next to Anthony’s red ones and he imagines waking up next to Anthony. All the images come so easily to Loki, that he realises the feelings have been there all along, buried under the confusion and anxiety of the last few months.

 

“Of course you would hang onto that bit,” Anthony laughs and the sight of the general happiness and amusement on his face has Loki grinning wider; has him relaxing that tiny bit more. “Okay,” Anthony continues, and there’s a glint in in eyes but also nervousness. “Feel free to stop me anytime,” he says. Loki tilts his head, wondering what Anthony could mean when it becomes all to apparent when Anthony starts to close the distance between them. He’s slow, and keeps his eyes open, gauging Loki’s reaction, but Loki doesn’t move to stop it from happening. He’s curious, and when Anthony’s lips brush against his own in the smallest of touches, and he shuts his eyes on instinct, leaning forward and pressing closer.

 

But Anthony pulls back soon after, the kiss barely more than them just touching lips for a few seconds. Loki leans forward unconsciously trying to follow for more which makes Anthony chuckle and Loki to open his eyes again. Anthony is grinning up at him, eyes bright with happiness. “Yes I like you, Lokes, “Anthony says and leans his head on Loki’s shoulder and letting his hands rest on Loki’s hips. It sends a possessive ache to rise in his chest, and he brings up his own arms to wrap around Anthony. He likes this, he realises.

 

“Maybe I’ll stay, for a little while longer,” he teases, reveling in the chuckle he gets in return.  


 

“For as long as you want Lokes. As long as you want.”

  


**Author's Note:**

> I didn't mention all the Pokemon teams that Loki and Tony had in this fic, as it is only a oneshot that didn't have room for all the the pokemon, as much as I wanted to put them all in! So if interested, links are below, for all the pokemon teams. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Loki's team](https://richi3f.github.io/pokemon-team-planner/national_dex.html#liepard+yamask+zoroark+bisharp+hydreigon) [Tony's team](https://richi3f.github.io/pokemon-team-planner/national_dex.html#munna+sigilyph+escavalier+beheeyem+volcarona+cobalion)


End file.
